Knowing your consumer rights will help to stop disreputable traders operating and will make sure that you get a fair deal. Many people simply accept excuses such as no refunds or exchanges on shoddy goods, but consumer rights are in place to protect customers.
A Fair Consumer Deal
Regardless of whether you are purchasing goods, contracting services or employing tradesmen you are still entitled to a fair deal. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 was implemented to protect consumers from disreputable traders and to make sure consumers could expect value for money. It may be the case that when you do return goods the actual store employees are not fully aware of the rights of the consumer. It will always be beneficial to be fully aware of the rights and protection that is available to consumers.
Your Consumer Agreement
When you pay for goods or services you are entering into an agreement with the provider of the product. This is a very important factor; you are not entering into an agreement with the manufacturer of the product. Many traders when confronted with a customer who is trying to return faulty goods will say that the problem must be taken up with the manufacturer. This is totally untrue; the problem lies with the seller of the goods and it is their responsibility to deal with the problem.
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Consumers do have a lot of protection and consumer rights when it comes to faulty goods. If the goods purchased are not fit for the intended purpose then consumers can return them and expect a full refund. One wrong assumption is that some stores will only give exchanges or credit notes on faulty goods. A full refund must be given on faulty goods even if the goods were purchased on sale (unless you were aware the goods were faulty at purchase). Consumers do not even need to produce a goods receipt as long as they can show proof of purchase.
Time Limits
There are some time limits that are applicable on returning faulty goods. In most cases consumers should return goods as soon as they are aware of the fault. If a customer decides to return the goods six months later then they may not be entitled to a full refund, although they may be issued with a credit note. Always complain as soon as possible to ensure that time limits are not applicable.
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Breach of Contract
When it comes to purchases the contract is king. A contract will exist between the buyer and the seller. It does not matter if the goods bought are a bag of sweets in a shop, a car, a house, a haircut or a meal in a restaurant. If the purchase is not up to satisfactory standards and is not fit for its purpose then the seller can be in breach of contract. If the consumer does not obtain any satisfaction then the matter should be taken to a higher level.
Consumer Complaints
Complaining about faulty goods and shoddy service can seem like a pain but it is the only way to get customer satisfaction. The first step will be to complain directly to the trader and if this does not bring satisfaction then a letter should be sent to the head office. The consumer is under no obligation to give traders a second chance by writing to the head office. If a satisfactory outcome has still not been reached then the complaint should be taken to Citizens Advice consumer service or other relevant consumer protection bodies.
Consumer rights are there in order to offer protection against unfair service and disreputable traders. It is up to the consumer to stand up for their rights and follow through on the complaint to the highest level. Consumers no longer have to simply take credit notes or exchanges on faulty goods or put up with bad service. Traders are under a legal obligation to supply refunds and there are consequences for those that do not.
P.s. Both the number I was given to Contact Moneygram and The trading Standards numbers are not FREE numbers, this is Extortion and Unacceptable !!!
Iv long hair & hardly any layers as I grew them out which took me years!
Now I have sharp stepped layers on one side of my head!
I also should have had a significat block of blonde through the top of my hair, but at end was told I'd need several visits to achieve it (which contradicted what I was originally told).
I'm very upset & I haven't worn my hair down, I know hair grows but that's not the point, it may take 3 years due to length of my hair to get it back to how it was!
What are my rights? Can I claim a full refund & compensation?
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